Category: News

Each year we take part in a match funding campaign called ‘The Big Give Challenge’ that enables you to DOUBLE your donation PLUS Gift Aid. We’re calling on our supporters to help us once again this year by making a promise of funds (a pledge) to Dorset Blind Association.

If we raise £3,750 in pledges by the end of this month, we will go through to the Christmas Challenge, and the Big Give will help us turn that into £15,000, which, with additional Gift Aid is enough to run all of our social clubs for 2018! Next year is particularly special to us as we will be celebrating 100 years of Dorset Blind Association. We would love to be able to celebrate with all our volunteers and members by keeping all social clubs running for the year, and we can only do this with your help.

The pledges don’t need to be paid until January, so by promising a Christmas gift to Dorset Blind Association now, you could help fund all of our 20 social clubs for older people for the whole of 2018, helping over 450 individuals who may otherwise be isolated and lonely.

Please help us to make the most of this opportunity to take part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge again this year by hitting our pledge target.

• We must raise £3,750 in pledges by 31/08/17 to participate
• Pledges must be £100 or more
• Pledgers have until 12th January 2018 to pay their pledges
• Your pledge will be worth over four times as much as you give

I hope that you will be kind enough to help us make sure this Christmas is not a lonely one for anybody in Dorset with sight loss, by pledging in the challenge this year.

If you are able to pledge please do so online here or call Amanda on 01202 712864 or email amanda@dorsetblind.org.uk before the end of August.

You can read more about what this money will do to improve lives of blind and partially sighted people here.

Our monthly e-newsletter has had a make over, and we hope you like it!

We have had a very exciting start to the summer with our Bright for Sight Night Run, support from Weymouth Rotary Club plus lots of upcoming events that we hope you will attend. Find our more.. 

Our Bright for Sight Night Run returned to Boscombe Seafront on Saturday 24th June as part of Feel Good Festival Dorset. Over 100 runners lit up the night as they took on the 5k or 10k challenge and went Bright for Sight with glow sticks, neon paint, tutus and anything that glows. The event was a huge success, raising just under £3,000. A huge thank you goes out to Parley Optometrists for sponsoring the event once again. Check out the event photos here

 

Dorset Blind Association has been selected to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2017.  The accolade recognises excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community and is the highest award given to local voluntary groups.

 

Dorset Blind Association provides a range of practical services to help people who are affected by serious sight loss to come to terms with this helps them to live full, independent, healthy and socially active lives. The charity delivers practical services directly into the community to make them as accessible to as many people as possible.

Despite receiving no fixed funding, the charity helps about 1,000 people every month with a small team of staff and more than 300 volunteers.

 

Jonathan Holyhead, chief executive of Dorset Blind Association says that everyone associated with the charity is thrilled by this news. “I am so pleased that the tremendously valuable work of our wonderful volunteers and the charity as a whole has been recognised in this way,” said Mr Holyhead

I am always humbled when I think of the time, effort, love and commitment which our volunteers individually and collectively give. I am especially thrilled that we are receiving this accolade now, as next year will mark the Dorset Blind Association’s centenary and I cannot think of a more apt way for this landmark to be celebrated.”

 

 

The charity’s president, James Weld, head of the Lulworth Estate, said: “I am delighted that the DBA has been recognised with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is a real testament to the considerable efforts made by our staff and the huge number of volunteers helping those suffering from sight loss in Dorset and we couldn’t have a better introduction for the charity’s centenary celebrations in 2018.”

The Dorset Blind Association also enjoys the patronage of Lord Julian and Lady Emma Fellowes and BAFTA winning film director Stephen Frears, who were also all delighted by the news.

Lord Fellowes said: “It is wonderful to see that the marvellous and important work of the Dorset Blind Association has been properly recognised by this great honour. It could not be more thoroughly deserved and we are absolutely delighted for all the men and women who have given so much time and effort for the good of others.”

Mr Frears added: “These people from Dorset Blind Association are heroic. I’d give them a Nobel Prize while they’re at it.”

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was created by the Queen in 2002 to mark her Golden Jubilee and is the equivalent of an MBE for voluntary groups.

The weather may be grey outside today, but the sun shone brightly at our classic car event on Sunday! Hear more about it below and how you can help us in your local area here … 

YMCA Bournemouth and Dorset Blind Association have launched their Feel Good Festival taking place on Saturday 24th June at Boscombe Pier.

This charity partnership brings together the local community, businesses and charities for a day of fun fitness activities. The festival opens at 11am and runs until 11pm with various free activities for the whole family from fitness sessions to kids sporting challenges. The event day will starts with HIIT training, following by family zumba, pilates, yoga and much more. Feel Good Festival is not all just about sporting activities but will be filled with stalls, charity stands and refreshments too.

The charities’ annual races will be part of the festival with YMCA’s kids’ races and 5 mile zig zag challenge which will see individuals and teams race along the seafront including the Southbourne zig zag path. In addition, Dorset Blind Association’s Bright for Sight Night run which is back for its 2nd year. People who join Bright for Sight Night Run can enjoy 5k or 10k run with glow sticks, head torches, neon paint, anything that glows! Participants can even enjoy an unique warm up session from Clubbercise professionals in Bournemouth.

Lucy Culkin, YMCA Bournemouth Business Development Manager, said: “It’s great to work with a charity which also has the community’s health & wellbeing at the centre of their mission”

“Thanks to our sponsors Parley Optometrists, Nationwide, Sainsbury and Boscombe & Southbourne Rotary Club, we are able to bring Feel Good Festival to life”. Helena, Event Fundraiser from Dorset Blind Association, said “Their kind donations mean that nearly all money raised at the Festival goes to supporting the vulnerable people in the local area”.

Please visit https://Feelgooddorset.eventbrite.co.uk to register your interest for free activities and to enter the running events.  

For other information and enquiries, please contact feelgooddorset@gmail.com or 01202 712864

What a busy month it’s been here at Dorset Blind Association, with lots of kind community and business support and the completion of many Fitness February challenges! A huge well done to everyone that took part, including our very own Community Support Worker, Leah! More…

 

Dorset Blind Association are seeking rowers and fitness fans to join them in Bournemouth Square on Friday 7th April, to carry out their Virtual Row Challenge.

Teams of 4-6 people will be competing to row 10,000 meters on a rowing machine quicker than any other team, while individuals can attempt to row the fastest 250 meters in Bournemouth.

Last year, Dorset Blind Association have managed to raise £2,000 through the rowing challenge with the help of teams from local businesses Nationwide, Van Guard Security Services, and Barclays.

This year, Virtual Row is being held on Friday 7th April at Bournemouth Town Centre with teams taking one hour slot from 9am to 6pm. The charity organization is seeking teams of up to 6 people from local companies and businesses to sign up and take on the 10,000 metre challenge, where participants will take it in shifts to row part of the overall distance faster than their competitors.

“This is a great team building activity for staff and is a great opportunity for businesses and companies to get involved with the community in Bournemouth Town Centre” – Helena Sinclair, the Events Fundraiser from Dorset Blind Association, talked about the benefit of this event – “We’re also asking our participants to raise more funds through sponsorship which could help us a lot in supporting blind and partially sighted people in the area”

Virtual Row challenge is not only opens for team from companies but also the public are more than welcome to take up the 250m rowing challenge onsite for small donation of £2. Prizes will be given to fastest teams and fastest individuals, who will be announced after the event.

Dorset Blind Association provides various services and practical help for blind and partially sighted people across the whole of Dorset where there are more than 30,000 people with sight loss. This number is predicted to increase every year and will reach 35,000 in 2020. This will cause an increase in demand for the charities services and support.

If you would like to take part or would like more information of Virtual Row challenge call 01202 712864 or email helena@dorsetblind.org.uk
This year, Dorset Blind Association has a busy fundraising events calendar with a huge variety of events. Fancy a day out for the family and car enthusiasts at Lulworth Castle Classic and Sports car show in May? Up for running for Bright for Night Sight in June? or even joining the DBA team and cycling from London to Paris in September? Contact the fundraising team for more information – 01202 712864.

#virtualrow